Listen
Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
We need a ship,
We need a ship,
Any colour will do.
There must be an ocean around.
Ahaha, we need a ship.
You say there's no ocean around?
Have you checked? We need a ship.
But I'm sure there's a lake around the house?
Ahaha, we need a ship.
You say there's no lake around the house?
Oh, that's bad news, we need a ship.
But there must be a river to be found.
Ahaha, we need a ship.
You say there's no river to be found?
Oh, that's bad news, we need a ship.
So if the situation's like that,
We need to sail in the bath,
With bubbles and soap floating past,
Our ship will have to not make a splash
And sail very fast.
Just a little stream would be fine.
Ah, because we need a ship.
Not even that, are you sure?
Have you checked? We need a ship.
But I'm sure that there's a pool behind the house.
Ahaha, we need a ship.
You say there's no such thing behind the house?
Oh, that's bad news, we need a ship.
So if the situation's like that,
We need to sail in the bath,
With bubbles and soap floating past,
Our ship will have to not make a splash
And sail very fast.
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
"We Need a Ship" is an original comic song written by Mike Wilbury (Michael Doering) for the Nursery Rhymes Collections. It takes the form of a dialogue between two characters: one who is absolutely certain they need a ship and equally certain that there must be a suitable body of water nearby, and another who patiently explains that there is not — no ocean, no lake, no river, no stream, no pool. The conclusion, inevitably, is that they will have to sail in the bath.
The song has the circular logic of the best comic exchanges, each new suggestion meeting the same cheerful rebuttal, with the lead character's confidence undimmed by the mounting evidence. The resolution — sailing in the bath with bubbles and soap floating past — is perfectly in keeping with the spirit of children's adventure, where imagination fills in for the absence of the real thing.
The rock arrangement gives the dialogue plenty of momentum, and the call-and-response structure between the two voices makes it easy for children to join in on the repeated refrain.
